shadow of britain

Chapter 692: District Crisis
"That being said, however..." Disraeli said worriedly, "Arthur, you don't know that the Tories are leaking faster than the Royal Navy's anti-smuggling ships."

Arthur almost sprayed his wine in Disraeli's face when he heard this: "Where did you hear that?"

"Tory?"

"No, it's a smuggling ship."

Disraeli waved his hand nonchalantly: "It's not a secret. Besides, I heard about it from Alexander and the others when they came back from Liverpool with you."

Disraeli then changed the subject and said, "Let's talk about the Tory Party. I am worried that if the current trend continues, the Tories will not be able to return to power for at least 30 years. I have received news that the party seems to be considering asking me to hand over the Maidstone constituency in the next general election."

"Hand over Maidstone?" After this was said, even Dickens and Tennyson felt the seriousness of the problem: "Where do they plan to transfer you to?"

Disraeli's scalp tingled at the thought of having to change his constituency: "High Wycombe, a hotly contested area in Buckinghamshire."

Arthur blurted out, "George Nugent's territory?"

Although Arthur has never run for a seat in parliament, it does not mean that he is unfamiliar with the situation in each constituency.

Because Scotland Yard used to assist administrative units around London in handling criminal cases, and in the process of work, it was inevitable to argue over trivial matters, and sometimes even go to local government departments. In this process, in order to mediate conflicts, it was inevitable to deal with local councilors.

The High Wycombe mentioned by Disraeli is a place that Arthur often visited. This historic town is famous for its furniture manufacturing industry, and High Wycombe chairs are a well-known British trademark. Moreover, although this town belongs to Buckinghamshire, it is not too far from London, so many residents work in London.

Given the policy orientations of the two major parties in Britain, it is not difficult to understand why the Whig Party dominated industrial towns like High Wycombe.

At least in Arthur's memory, since he joined Scotland Yard, the seat of this small town constituency has always been held by Colonel George Nugent of the Whig Party. Even though there have been two general elections in the middle, George Nugent has never lost this constituency.

More importantly, Nugent won every time by an overwhelming margin, and after the parliamentary reforms of 1832, Nugent's advantage in the Hydcombe constituency would only increase, not decrease.

In Arthur's opinion, if Disraeli really switched to Hydecombe, it would be like jumping into a fire pit.

Arthur rubbed his temples in a headache. "How could they do this? They asked you to change your constituency. Aren't they afraid that you will not only fail to win High Wycombe, but also lose the seat in Maidstone?"

Disraeli also kept on protesting his innocence: "Well, I wonder if it was the short story I wrote before that caused the trouble?"

The manuscript of The Englishman had to be reviewed by Dickens, and he immediately understood which article Disraeli was talking about: "You mean A Year at Hartbury?"

The story structure of "A Year in Hartbury" is not complicated. It mainly tells the story of the protagonist Lord Bohon returning from overseas and finding that the storm of parliamentary reform has swept the countryside. Lord Bohon denounced the hypocrisy of the Whigs, scolding them for shouting for the liberation of black slaves while imposing policies close to slavery on northern workers. The Whigs were merely consolidating their power in the name of the Reform Act. The expanded scope of electoral rights after the reform would only hand over town power to the conservative Whig oligarchs hiding behind the radical Whigs.

On the other hand, Lord Bohon regarded the Tory Party as a true party for all people, advocating gradual reform under the premise of respecting the current constitution. However, he refused to consider himself a Tory, and wanted to build a new party that "can meet the domestic needs of the times and continue the traditional imperial diplomacy", and he appointed himself as the leader.

In the end, Lord Bohon was elected after a fierce battle, but he was assassinated as soon as he took up the important position in the House of Commons. The story ends here.

Anyone who is familiar with Disraeli knows that this guy's works are basically all about himself. The so-called protagonist Lord Bohon is actually Mr. Disraeli in a different skin.

As for why he arranged the assassination as the ending of the story...

Although Mr. Disraeli's fans have various speculations, such as: the gap between reality and dreams, the aftertaste of blank space...

But, in fact, everyone in the editorial department knew that the reason why Disraeli suddenly abandoned the work was entirely because he was busy having a love affair with Mrs. Sykes.

Not every author can finish what he starts like Dumas, Dickens and Carter. Mr. Disraeli's patience may be enough to be a prime minister, but how can he become a top writer?

Sorry, no.

Arthur recalled the articles Disraeli had written in recent years and his erratic and incoherent political ideas, and seemed to gradually understand why the Tory Party was worried about this guy.

Although Disraeli repeatedly claimed that he held moderate liberal views, the Tory Peel faction, which was truly known for its moderation, was never impressed by this Jewish guy. This guy repeatedly emphasized that he had no support from any aristocratic party and was a member of parliament who fought for the people, but he was supported by a group of hard-line aristocrats within the Tory Party, such as the Earl of Lyndhurst and the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos.

Such a contrast naturally makes it easy for people to feel that Disraeli is two-faced and has no principles or bottom line.

In addition, he had once flirted with Whig dignitaries such as Earl Daramore, which naturally triggered a crisis of confidence in the Tory caucus.

Perhaps in the minds of some people, they had already defined Disraeli as a traitor who might defect at any time, and replacing him with someone else to run for election in Maidstone was just a timely way to stop the loss. Otherwise, when Disraeli defected to the Whig Party with his seat as a member of parliament, it would be a real waste of time.

The most important reason why Arthur could sit on both sides, in addition to his own educational background and professional experience, was that he did not directly obtain any political resources from the two parties. But Disraeli was different. The reason why he won the Maidstone constituency was that in addition to his own investment, the Carlton Club of the Tory Party also tilted a considerable degree of political resources towards him. When Disraeli ran for election, the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos and the Earl of Lyndhurst all attended his campaign dinner.

If it weren't for the support of the Tory Party, a political novice like Disraeli would not have been able to win a seat in Maidstone so easily no matter how much money he invested.

However, Arthur could understand why Disraeli often made such inconsistent and contradictory political statements.

Since the passage of the Parliamentary Reform Act, Britain's voter base has undergone tremendous changes, and even Tory MPs' views must continue to evolve in a liberal direction, otherwise they will sooner or later be abandoned by voters.

It was a very delicate task to express his reformist views without offending the traditional Tory bosses who supported Disraeli.

To achieve this, he had to show his loyalty to the Earl of Lyndhurst and others to gain support from the party. He also had to distinguish his own reform views from the Whig Party's political views to prevent others from suspecting that Disraeli might turn to the Whig Party at any time.

Arthur tapped his fingertips on the table and suddenly said, "Benjamin, are you writing any political pamphlets recently?"

Disraeli casually pulled out a stack of manuscript paper from his bag and said, "Not just recently, I publish several political articles almost every month."

Arthur took the article titled "Crisis Review" from Disraeli, glanced at it briefly, and then frowned deeply.

He tapped the table with his index finger and crossed out paragraphs with a pen, adding a few sentences from time to time.

Seeing this, Disraeli couldn't help but lean over and ask: "What are you changing?"

"Your style." Arthur said lightly, without taking his eyes off the manuscript.

"My style?" Disraeli raised his eyebrows, rather displeased. "I thought you admired my writing."

Arthur chuckled, put the pen in his hand on the table, and looked up at him. "Benjamin, your writing is indeed excellent, but the problem is that these rhetoric and logic are more suitable for the climax of a fashionable novel, rather than a political article that can consolidate your position in the Tory Party."

Disraeli picked up his article and recited it proudly: "The Whig Party's parliamentary reform, under the guise of freedom, handed over the power of the old aristocracy to the new aristocracy. They clamored for the liberation of human rights, but in fact they threw the people into a brand new shackles. Great Britain is standing on the edge of a cliff, and the breeze has risen. If we don't pull back from the brink, we will be doomed! I am a Tory, but not an old Tory. I don't belong to those who only know how to go back to the old ways and refuse to reform. If Britain wants to survive, we must establish a new Tory Party, a party that can lead the people into a new era!"

Disraeli patted the manuscript paper and said, "Look at these. Isn't what I wrote good enough?"

Arthur said decisively: "Delete this sentence."

Disraeli's eyes widened. "Why? This is my core political philosophy."

Arthur turned the manuscript back and pointed to the part he had just crossed out. "But this is suitable for inciting people on the podium, but in the context of the Tory Party, it sounds like you want to overthrow the entire party and rebuild a new one. Benjamin, I know this is your core belief, but you can't write your ambition on your face. What do you think the Earl of Lyndhurst and the Duke of Buckingham will think? They don't think you are reforming, but you want to seize power. As for Peel, he won't like what you say, because the position you want to usurp is his."

Disraeli was silent for a while, and finally shrugged helplessly and said, "Okay, change it. Anyway, since you have already picked up the pen, you can't just delete my part. Let me see what you wrote, and I will delete some of your writing too."

Disraeli took back the manuscript and read out the part that Arthur had added: "Parliamentary reform has become a reality, and the Tories must adapt to the political ecology of the new era. But adaptation does not mean compromise, nor does it mean that we have to give up the constitutional system we are proud of. The expansion of the House of Commons has brought new problems. If it is allowed to develop, it may lead to the political dictatorship of a single class. Therefore, we must call for the maintenance of the checks and balances of the House of Lords to ensure the stability of the constitutional monarchy."

Disraeli savored Arthur's rewrite. Although Arthur's rewrite was not as rhythmic as his, it did read much more steadier.

Moreover, a smart man like Disraeli could naturally read that this passage even flattered many Tory bigwigs, because the House of Lords was controlled by them and it was also where the nobles gathered.

"And this." Arthur pointed to another place and continued writing: "The Tories are not a party that refuses reform. On the contrary, we advocate gradual and orderly reform. On the premise of respecting the British constitution, we can respond to the concerns of the people instead of pursuing radical and short-sighted policies like the Whigs."

Disraeli smacked his lips. "What can I say, Arthur? You are indeed a police officer promoted by Peel. If I were not here today, I would probably think that this passage came from Peel's mouth, because it is so much his style."

Arthur emphasized, "This is the point. Benjamin, you are not writing this article just for yourself, nor for the voters. Your article is written for the elders of the Tory Party. You have made the issue too complicated before. The decisive factor in whether you can continue to stay in the House of Commons does not lie in your political views, but in whether you can win the favor of the Earl of Lyndhurst and others. Of course, if necessary, you'd better not offend the Peel faction."

Although Disraeli was a proud young man, he was not stubborn. When he might lose his constituency at any time, he was very willing to listen to advice: "Arthur, it seems that you are more suitable to be a member of parliament than I am. Aren't you planning to resign as a diplomat? Why don't you join politics? I always feel that you have a wider path than me. Both the Whig Party and the Tory Party seem to be happy to accept you."

Arthur put the pen down and chuckled. "I have no interest in dealing with politicians every day, but if you want to stay in Maidstone instead of being thrown into the fire pit of High Wycombe, Benjamin, you have to be flexible."

Disraeli sighed and took the revised manuscript from Arthur. "Well, at least it seems that my political future will not be destroyed by this article. However, I am still a little worried..."

"To be honest, I'm not too sure about your future." Arthur raised his glass and clinked it with Disraeli's. "But it doesn't matter. I'll go to London One tomorrow to meet the Duke of Wellington. I can help you get the feel for him. If the Duke of Wellington has a good impression of you, I think there won't be any problems in the short term."

(End of this chapter)